April 18, 2012 — The 1st Edition of Keys to EMR Success was the HIMSS Book of the Year Award and was selected because it, “comprehensively covers the selection and implementation of electronic medical records for the physician practice. The book contains solid advice, work lists, and other tools to help physicians and office managers succeed in leveraging EMRs to improve patient services and practice performance.”

In this new & revised Edition , nationally recognized expert Ron Sterling has included up-to-date information on this daily-changing topic of Health IT. A new chapter on EHR and Malpractice Risk has been added as well as detailed coverage of conversion issues for practices that have an old EMR. New additions also on ARRA and Meaningful Use.

The book starts with an overview of preparing the practice for technology, from there, Ron Sterling helps the reader define requirements, choose the right system, get physician and staff buy-in, and take the system “live” as smoothly as possible.

“There is no question,” says Sterling, “that the selection and implementation of an EHR is a ‘bet-the-practice’ proposition. If you fail, you end up with more costs and greater frustration. On the other hand, few practices will be able to avoid implementing EHRs as these tools become necessary to meet patient expectations, payer quality requirements and pay-for-performance demands.” Keys to EMR/EHR Success provides a proven path medical practices can follow with ease – and the confidence you’re making the right decisions about features, vendors, integration with the practice management system, and other critical factors.

Selected Table of Contents

Chapter 1:

Should I Invest in an EHR?

Who should – and shouldn’t – make the leap.

Chapter 2: Evaluating an EHR Investment

How to compare the system’s cost to potential ROI in patient care, document management, compliance, and other key practice areas.

Chapter 3: Your Practice Management System and an EHR

Best practices for getting these systems to work together — and with your practice management team.

Chapter 4: Compiling a Practice-Focused Evaluation List

How to define requirements and anticipate features you’ll need in the future.

Chapter 5: EHR and Malpractice Risk

Covering patient service and operations risk issues faced by medical practices that have an EHR.

Chapter 6: Selecting Products to Review

Narrowing the field of 400 EHR products to find the best candidates for your practice.

Chapter 7: Reviewing Products for Your Practice

How to complete due diligence in two months, including what to look in demos.

Chapter 8: Making a Final Decision

Using a weighted score system … and asking the right questions about server support, hardware specs, and other potential hidden costs.

Chapter 9: Negotiating a Contract

How to avoid tricky situations with warranties, termination clauses, upfront fees, and more.

Chapter 10: Implementing an EHR

From clinical standards and policies, to data conversion and training: who does what, when.

Chapter 11: Activating an EHR

How to keep personnel and logistics issues from sabotaging your success with the EHR system.

No use reinventing the EMR software wheel. An electronic health record system is a major investment in time and money. You might want to reference one of Ron Sterling’s books to increase the odds of having a healthy and happy electronic medical record experience at your practice.